We thoroughly enjoyed reading about the National Night Out event that took place in the Woodbury Estates neighborhood in Butler Township Tuesday night.

The photos speak for themselves. Children were bright-eyed and intrigued by the selfless men and women who protect and serve their communities.

However, an interesting point was brought up by John Hays, chief of township police. He said he thinks it gives the public a chance to see them as people, not just someone driving by or pulling you over. “Especially now, how things are, they get to put a face with their officers.”

This is what children and the world need.

At some point in early adulthood, we fall into the practice of maintaining pretenses and façades in society that really serve no functional purpose. This event is an example of those veils falling away, a chance to come together and see that officers, and even your neighbors that glide right by while walking the same street, are humans — people with lives and families just like you and yours.

We lose our sense of community when trying to maintain divisions. While this event humanized the people that protect us, it also gave the community members a chance to do the same for one another.

After all, who is it that calls 911 if the house across the street — heaven forbid — catches fire? Who is it that informs first responders of how many live in that house, or how many children there are to prioritize?

While it is important for us to know police officers, firemen or EMTs, knowing each other in an emergency is equally important. By looking out for and protecting neighbors that become friends, we can be more prepared when we need to be.

The world is crazy; there’s no doubt about it. Perhaps if we have more successful events like National Night Out, we can return to a world where hostility between normal citizens becomes less and less common.

–CM